ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Education
MoS  Dr. Subhas Sarkar releases AICTE Engineering books in Marathi language
“Giving priority to local languages in the NEP manifests our commitment to all regional languages”
Education to be imparted in Indian languages for ease of understanding and encouraging students for research-MoS 
Mumbai, 14 November 2022
The All India Council for Technical Education  today launched outcome based educational books for diploma and under-graduate engineering courses in Marathi language. The books were ceremonially released by Union Minister of State for Education Dr. Subhas Sarkar and Minister for Higher and Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra, Dr. Chandrakant Patil at Mumbai Universitys Kalina Campus. AICTE outcome-based books were also ceremoniously distributed to twelve heads of various educational institutions and twelve students on the occasion. Vice-Chancellors, Coordinators, Translators and Reviewers from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University at Lonere, Maharashtra, who were associated with AICTE in this work of Marathi book translation, were felicitated on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sarkar said, AICTE has taken the initiative of making engineering books available in Indian Languages in alignment with guidelines enshrined in the National Education Policy 2020."Giving priority to local languages in the NEP manifests our commitment to all regional languages. We consider Indian languages the soul of Bharatiyata and the link to a better future", he further said. While appreciating this initiative, MoS  also said, "Language is so much more than just a tool allowing us to communicate. It is the expression of culture, society, beliefs, traditions. I would like to congratulate all universities of Maharashtra for taking all steps for translation and other related activities." Technically advanced countries like France, Germany, South Korea and others had amply displayed that we can achieve the global standards in our mother tongues, he added. "It acts as a catalyst for inclusive development".
NEP 2020 envisages many things for over all development of students, which includes imparting education in Indian languages for ease of understanding and encouraging students for research, said the Union Minister He also mentioned, as per this vision of NEP, technical education has been redefined by introducing human values in it.
UGC and AICTE Chairman Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar said, "When Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose was admitted to a Bengali medium school by his father. We know Bose was described as a person who was 16 years ahead of his contemporaries. You'll find that in the countries where noble prizes are won, there education from school to PhD is provided in vernacular languages"PIB Mumbai | Sriyanka/Radhika/Darshana
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Ministry of Textiles
Cabinet approves closure of National Jute Manufactures Corporation Ltd. and its subsidiary Birds Jute & Exports Ltd.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the closure of National Jute Manufactures Corporation Ltd.  and its subsidiary Birds Jute & Exports Ltd. .
Procedure for Closure:
- Disposal of fixed assets as well as current assets will be in accordance with the guidelines of DPE dated 14.06.2018 and the proceeds from the sale of assets, after meeting the liabilities, will be deposited in Consolidated Fund of India.
- In accordance with the DPE guidelines dated 14.06.2018, a Land Management Agency  will be engaged for disposal of assets. The LMA will be directed to carry out a thorough verification of the assets before undertaking their disposal in accordance with the DPE guidelines.
- Ministry of Textiles does not propose to use any land or building of BJEL for its own purposes or for any of its other CPSEs and the Land Management Agency will be informed upfront accordingly.
Benefits:
The decision will benefit the Government exchequer in reducing recurring expenditure incurred in operating both the sick CPSEs in running their activities. The proposal will help in closing loss making companies and ensuring release of valuable assets for productive use, or for generating financial resources for developmental progress.
The available land with both the CPSEs will be put up for public use/other government use for overall development of society.
Background:
- NJMC has been incurring losses for several years and was under reference to BIFR since 1993. The company's primary product was hessian jute bags used for packaging of food grain used by the various State Governments. Over the years, the demand for hessian bags has eroded and to that extent, it has been found to be no longer commercially viable to run the company;
- The Mills of NJMC which were proposed for revival, namely, Kinnison Mill at Titagarh, Khardah Mill at Khardah and RBHM Mill at Katihar are under suspension since August, 2016 , because of the failure of the Job Contractor to execute the job efficiently and problems with the local labour. The different models of outsourcing operations which were attempted have not been successful. Looking at its past performance, market conditions and the competition from plastics and the capacity of private jute mills, it was noted that NJMC would not be in a position to recoup its negative net worth through operational profits. Also, NJMC has no staff/workers on its rolls. Hence, the closure;
- BJEL, the subsidiary of NJMC, was referred to BIFR, which had considered a Revival Scheme. The Draft Revival Scheme could not be implemented because conversion of land use was not agreed to by the West Bengal Government and the representative of the State Government to the ASC was nominated after a three year delay. BJEL has no staff and as the factory is not in operation; closure does not have any adverse implications.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Even at 85, Shantabai performs street acts and helps sustain the legacy of Dombari community: Director Pratik Gupta
“I was determined to bring out the innocence and boldness of the Dombari community”
Panaji, 22 January 2021
“Our film Shantabai explores the journey of street artist Shantabai Pawar, who continues to perform even at 85 years of age and thus helps keep the legacy of Dombari community in Maharashtra alive. It is a documentary film on a dying art form, from which the lead actor Shantabai makes a living in her real life as well”. Director Pratiik Gupta said this, while addressing a press conference in Goa today, January 22, 2021, at the ongoing 51st International Film Festival of India . The eponymous film, produced by Film and Television Institute of India, has been featured in the Indian Panorama Non Feature Film section of IFFI 51.
The Dombari community is known for its street circus acts such as juggling acts on street like walking on ropes and risky somersaults. The Dombaris are distributed across India. They are referred to as Bhorpi in Konkan, Gopals in districts like Satara and Sangli, and Dombari in western Maharashtra.
Director Gupta threw light on the real-life struggles of Shantabai, from whose own perspective the story is told: “To take care of her family, Shantabai performs juggling acts on the streets, and does rope-walking as well, activities which are sometimes dangerous and risky.”
Gupta wanted to bring out the innocence and boldness of the Dombari community. “Though they live on streets and are nomadic, they are innocent and bold. I had an amazing team. At first no one was confident, but I was determined to make an emphasis on the innocence and boldness of this community.”
The Director added that the crew took special care to ensure that the scenes are captured naturally. “While shooting the movie, we took efforts to make the Dombari community comfortable, I had to spend time to remove their camera shyness. Actors often got nervous in front of the camera; hence, we had to keep the camera outside and zoom in. But on the whole, I enjoyed the process. And we made all the effort to capture scenes naturally.”
Vice President's Secretariat
Political parties to prescribe a code of conduct for public representatives: Vice President
Vice President interacts with students from IIT Madras
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has asked political parties to prescribe a code of conduct for public representatives. He said that people’s representatives must stand for the voice of people in legislatures.
Interacting with the Members of Student Legislative Council of IIT Madras, Shri Naidu said that public representatives must be receptive to the sufferings of the poor and down trodden.
He said that India needed leaders who understood the growing aspirations of the youth and who spoke their language. Disrupting the precious time of the legislature would do no good except writing the headlines of newspapers, he added.
The Vice President stressed upon the need to have constructive debates on what more needs to be done to strengthen democracy in India and called upon students to be the vanguards of the movement by actively participating in the bid to make India a strong nation.
Shri Naidu said that universities or institutions of higher learning must play a meaningful role in establishing links between society, politics, economy, culture, science and industry.
‘Our education system must move from examination or degree awarding mode to knowledge-creation mode’, he said.
Commenting that the democratic and constitutional values of India act as pillars of the developmental process, the Vice President opined that the constitution embodies the ideals and aspirations of the people of India.
The Vice President asked premier institutions such as the IITs to encourage students to interact with people in rural areas to understand life in villages. It will also help students to develop empathy and compassion and eventually make them better human beings, he added.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister Greets People of Rajasthan on its State Day
Prime Minister has greeted people of Rajasthan on its State Day.
In a message Shri Narendra Modi said, “People of Rajasthan are known for their courage, bravery and valour. I pray that the State continues incessantly on the path of progress and development”
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Ministry of Culture
The third edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-2021 at Murshidabad concludes with colourful programs
The third and final edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-2021 concluded with colourful cultural programmes. The two day Mahotsav was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India from 27th – 28th February 2021 at Murshidabad, West Bengal.
A large number of people attended the closing ceremony and enjoyed the Mahotsav. All the seven Zonal cultural Centres presented the dance performances and made the evening memorable for the audience.
The colourful programs began with captivating performances by local artists, who first sang Baul Gaan, Jaari Gaan, followed by lathi Khela and performances of folk dances Ghoda Naach and Ranapa dances.
After that famous artists performed Rudrakshya Odissi dance, then audience enjoyed the Ghazals of Aditya Saraswat. As soon as Somlata and Da Essence band came on stage, the youth got excited and everyone enjoyed the performance.
Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav, the flagship festival of Culture Ministry has been organized since 2015 with the active participation of Seven Zonal Culture Centres and has been playing a pivotal role to take the vibrant culture of India out to the masses instead of confining to auditoria and galleries. It has been instrumental in showcasing, folk and tribal art, dance, music, cuisines & culture of one state in other states reinforcing the cherished goal of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” and at the same time providing an effective platform to the artists and artisans to support their livelihood. Earlier RashtriyaSanskritikMahotsavshave been held till date since November, 2015 in various states and cities such as Delhi, Varanasi, Bengaluru, Tawang, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tehri and Madhya Pradesh.
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Ministry of Defence
VISIT OF CHIEF OF THE ARMY STAFF GENERAL MM NARAVANE TO SOUTHERN COMMAND
General MM Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff, is on a two day visit to Southern Command, touching base at Pune and Goa. During his Pune visit, the COAS visited Tata Motors at Pimpri where he observed the operations ofthe assemblylines of Passenger and Commercial Vehicles and Engineering Research Centre . A range of Tata vehicles including Xenon, AWD  Troop Carrier, Light Bullet Proof Vehicle and Combat Support Vehicles, namely Mine Protected Vehicles and Wheeled Armoured Amphibious Platform AWD  configuration were on display.
On the same day, General Naravanealso visited the Strategic Systems Complex  of Larsen &Toubro at Talegaon near Pune to witness their production facilities and developmental efforts towards modernising the Indian Armed Forces. The COAS was briefed about various defence related programmes and engagements of L&T with the Indian Army. The COAS complimented the efforts of both the indigenous manufacturers in promoting Atmanirbharta in defence manufacturing.
On the second day ie 07 August 2021, Gen MM Naravane will be visiting INS Hansa in Goa.
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Ministry of Defence
21st EDITION INDIA FRANCE BILATERAL NAVAL EXERCISE ‘VARUNA’ – 2023
Phase Il of the 21st edition of Varuna  bilateral exercise between Indian and French Navy was conducted in the Arabian Sea. The exercise witnessed participation of guided missile frigates, tanker, Maritime Patrol Aircraft and integral helicopters from the two sides. The exercise was conducted over three days and witnessed joint operations, underway replenishment and various tactical manoeuvres. Units of both navies endeavoured to enhance and hone their war fighting skills, improve interoperability and demonstrate their ability to promote, peace, security and stability in the region. The first phase of 'Varuna-2023' was conducted off India's Western Seaboard from 16 to 20 Jan 23
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Indian & French Navy bilateral naval exercise was initiated in 1993. The exercise was later christened as 'Varuna' in 2001 and has since become a hallmark of robust India-France strategic bilateral relationship. Having grown in scope and complexity over the years, this exercise provides an opportunity to learn from each other's best practices and procedures. The exercise also facilitates operational level interaction between the two Navies to foster mutual cooperation for good order at sea, underscoring the shared commitment to ensuring security, safety and freedom of the global maritime commons.
Ministry of Culture
Ministry of Culture through its autonomous bodies has made efforts to promote art, literature and craft in the country.
Sahitya Akademi has published over 7000 books in 24 languages
Ministry of Culture through its autonomous bodies has made efforts to promote art, literature and craft in the country. Sahitya Akademi under Ministry of Culture has published over 7000 books in 24 languages. Every year Akademi holds a number of seminars at regional, national and international levels; Akademi has a series of programs called Cultural Exchange and given travel grants to young writers and conducts International Literary Festival-UNMESHA.
Lalit Kala Akademi under Ministry of Culture organizes art camps, workshops, exhibitions, art festivals like National Painting workshops and Mega Exhibition. Sangeet Natak Akademi organizes festivals all over the country, provides grants-in-aid for research, documentation, and publishing in the performing arts; organizes and subsidizes seminars and conferences of subject specialists. Centre for Cultural Resources and Training  has designed various training programmes which include various thematic workshops focusing on creating awareness regarding promotion and preservation of Indian Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage, Literary Heritage, Folk/Tribal Art & Culture and Craft traditions.
Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, conducts workshops in Wood Block-printing, Kalamkari Painting and Natural dyeing. Craft Education and Research Centre the CERC , Kalakshetra Foundation under Ministry of Culture has trained women from low-income groups in the art of Kalamkari. Ministry through its akademies present awards and scholarships to the artists and also invites artists from different genres of performing arts, folk art, tribal art for performance.
Ministry of Culture through its autonomous bodies conducts festivals, fairs and events at regional, national and international levels. These events showcase traditional art forms, music, dance, crafts and other cultural expressions, drawing attention to the richness and diversity of traditional culture. The Akademies also maintain a repository of archives and regularly engaged in documenting our cultural heritage. Ministry also conducts training and workshops, cultural outreach programs and social media platforms to create awareness among the people of the country to adopt traditional culture.
This reply was given by Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region Shri G. Kishan Reddy in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Steel
Dharmendra Pradhan Meets Russian Representatives from Far East Russia
Calls for Greater Sourcing of Coking Coal from Far East Russia, Development of logistics infrastructure
Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today met with H.E. Mr. Leonid Petukov, CEO, Far East Russia Investment and Export Agency in New Delhi. Russian delegation included Russian Ambassador H.E. Nikolay Kudashev, Trade Representative of Russian Federation in India, Mr. YaroslavTarasyuk, other senior officials from Far East Russia Investment and Export Agency. Minister of State for steel Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Secretary  Shri Binoy Kumar along with senior representatives of Steel, Coal, and External Affairs were also present along with industry leaders from Indian steel, coal, port sectors.
Discussions centred around further developing economic linkages with Far East Russia, particularly through sourcing of metallurgical or coking coal, development of infrastructure of Far East Russia ports and connectivity of these ports with Russian mining locations, and improvements in evacuation infrastructure.
Shri Pradhan also reviewed the progress made in strengthening ties pursuant to the visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Far East Russia. He further said that pursuant to his visit to Moscow and Vladivostok during the last three months, in which he had met Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, H.E. Yuri Trutnev and subsequent meetings of representatives of Russian and Indian steel companies, the latter have started testing samples of coking coal from the Far East Russia in their plants.
The Minister stated that offtake of coal from Far East Russia can grow as the coking coal from Far East Russia becomes more attractive from the point of view of price, ease of availability, connectivity to the ports and sea transport. He hoped that the improvements by Russian side in developing inland as well as port logistics and rail connectivity in Far East would go a long way in developing economic linkages with India. He also suggested Far East Russia Investment and Export Agency to indicate specific concessions that can be made to Indian importers of coking coal and to offer port facilities at preferential terms for Indian companies.
Shri Pradhan thanked the representatives from Far East Russia Investment and Export Agency for visiting India and expressed confidence that the coming months will see significant increase in import of coking coal for Indian steel industry from Far East Russia.
India currently imports more than 50 MTPA coking coal. In view of huge opportunity offered by the Far East Russia to attract Indian investments, the Government of India earlier extended a USD 1 Billion line of credit to Russia. This line of credit can be used for furthering economic linkages with Far East Russia, including development of evacuation infrastructure and logistics in the Far East Russia.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister marks his presence on WhatsApp channel
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has joined WhatsApp channel today and he has also shared the channel’s link to join.
In a X post, the PM informed;
“Started my WhatsApp Channel today. Looking forward to remaining connected through this medium! Join by clicking on the link.. https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va8IaebCMY0C8oOkQT1F”
Ministry of Railways
Initiatives by Indian Railways for Cleanliness in Trains
Maintaining cleanliness is a continuous process and every endeavour is made to keep the coaches including toilets in properly maintained and in clean condition. Some of the major initiatives taken by Indian Railways towards improvement of cleanliness in trains are as follows:
 Cleaning of train coaches including toilets of trains is done at both ends including mechanized cleaning.
 On Board Housekeeping Service  has been provided in more than 980 pairs of trains including Rajdhani, Shatabdi and other important long distance Mail/Express trains for cleaning of coach toilets, doorways, aisles and passenger compartments during the run of the trains.
 On demand ‘Clean My Coach’ service is provided in nearly 970 pairs of important Superfast/Mail/Express long distance trains having On Board Housekeeping Service.
 By expanding the scope of ‘Clean My Coach’, ‘Coach Mitra’ Service has been provided in nearly 800 OBHS trains as a single window interface to register all coach related requirements of passengers travelling in reserved coaches, such as cleaning, disinfection, linen, train lighting, air conditioning and watering of coaches.
 Clean Train Station  scheme has also been prescribed for limited mechanized cleaning attention to identified trains including cleaning of toilets during their scheduled stoppages enroute at nominated stations.
 Washing of bed linen  provided for AC passengers is done after every single use. Blankets were being cleaned at least once in two months. Prescribed washing frequency of blankets has been recently increased to minimum once in a month. To improve the quality of washing of bed linen, 59 mechanized laundries have been set up in the Railways.
This information was made available in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.